What are the Different Options for Concrete Flooring?

There are many different options for decorating concrete flooring. All types of decorated concrete floors should be sealed with a clear sealer to protect them. Once sealed, concrete floors are easy to maintain with daily sweeping and weekly washing. A sealed concrete floor often needs new sealer about every two years. Some of the most popular techniques for concrete flooring decorating options are painting, stenciling, stamping, staining and scoring.

Scoring is the technique of using a blade tool to make cuts on the concrete. Freehand designs or patterned lines can be made. Concrete flooring can be scored to look like it's a tiled floor.

Scoring is often done before staining. Staining concrete floors involves using an acid to create a chemical change in the cement. The result is an interesting mottled look. Scoring the floor first can give the appearance of more depth to the concrete flooring. Sealing the floor after staining can help keep it from fading.

Stamping is usually done on colored cement flooring. The coloring is mostly done when the concrete is being mixed and poured. Concrete stamps are available in many different designs. Some concrete stamping equipment may be expensive, but creative stampers may make their own stamps from recycled pieces of metal or other items. Many different stamped floor designs are possible, although most floor stampers create concrete flooring designs that look like stone or brick.

Stenciling and painting are concrete flooring options often used together. The stenciled patterns may be made from original designs on cardboard or stiff paper. Stencils made from thin plastic may be purchased from craft stores. Paints are used to fill in the hollowed out parts of the stencils to create the design.

Stenciled concrete floors may work well in a country-themed home or in a child's room. The paint colors can be purchased to coordinate with the room's color scheme. Some people like to create borders of color or design near the walls in rooms rather than bring colored designs to the rest of the concrete floor.

For example, for a beach-themed home, stencils of starfish in rows could create attractive borders on the cement flooring. There are different types of brush techniques that can first be practiced on paper before attempting to paint the stenciled designs onto a cement floor. Some people like to stencil and paint designs on the risers, or front-showing stair parts, of cement staircases as well as on cement floors.